Dextran as a candidate material for colon-specific drug delivery has been studied. Crosslinked dextran hydrogels were prepared by mixing dextran, $MgCl_2$, glutaraldehyde (GA) and polyethyleneglycol (PEG 400) in water. The dextran hydrogels were characterized by measuring equilibrium swelling ratios and mechanical strengths. Response surface methodology (Central Composite Design) was used to evaluate the swelling behaviors and mechanical strengths as functions of concentrations of $MgCl_2$, GA, and PEG 400, which was found to be useful for the evaluation. It showed that the swelling behavior and mechanical strengths were influenced significantly by PEG 400 and $MgCl_2$ concentrations.